TY - JOUR A1 - Bevilacqua, N. A1 - Asset, T. A1 - Schmid, M. A. A1 - Markötter, Henning A1 - Manke, I. A1 - Atanassov, P. A1 - Zeis, R. T1 - Impact of catalyst layer morphology on the operation of high temperature PEM fuel cells JF - Journal of Power Sources Advances N2 - Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is a well-established method to analyze a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). However, without further data processing, the impedance spectrum yields only qualitative insight into the mechanism and individual contribution of transport, kinetics, and ohmic losses to the overall fuel cell limitations. The distribution of relaxation times (DRT) method allows quantifying each of these polarization losses and evaluates their contribution to a given electrocatalyst's depreciated performances. We coupled this method with a detailed morphology study to investigate the impact of the 3D-structure on the processes occurring inside a high-temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (HT-PEMFC). We tested a platinum catalyst (Pt/C), a platinum-cobalt alloy catalyst (Pt3Co/C), and a platinum group metal-free iron-nitrogen-carbon (Fe–N–C) catalyst. We found that the hampered mass transport in the latter is mainly responsible for its low performance in the MEA (along with its decreased intrinsic performances for the ORR reaction). The better performance of the alloy catalyst can be explained by both improved mass transport and a lower ORR resistance. Furthermore, single-cell tests show that the catalyst layer morphology influences the distribution of phosphoric acid during conditioning. KW - High-temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell KW - Platinum-free catalyst KW - Mass transport KW - Oxygen reduction reaction KW - Distribution of relaxation times analysis PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-520917 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.powera.2020.100042 VL - 7 SP - 100042 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-52091 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Duan, K. A1 - Zhu, L. A1 - Li, M. A1 - Xiao, L. A1 - Bevilacqua, N. A1 - Eifert, L. A1 - Manke, I. A1 - Markötter, Henning A1 - Zhang, R. A1 - Zeis, R. A1 - Sui, P. -C. T1 - Multiphase and Pore Scale Modeling on Catalyst Layer of High-Temperature Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell JF - Journal of The Electrochemical Society N2 - Phosphoric acid as the electrolyte in high-temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell plays an essential role in ist performance and lifetime. Maldistribution of phosphoric acid in the catalyst layer (CL) may result in performance degradation. In the present study, pore-scale simulations were carried out to investigate phosphoric acid’s multiphase flow in a cathode CL. A reconstructed CL model was built using focused ion beam-SEM images, where distributions of pore, carbon support, binder, and catalyst particles can be identified. The multi-relaxation time lattice Boltzmann method was employed to simulate phosphoric Acid invading and leaching from the membrane into the CL during the membrane electrode assembly fabrication process. The predicted redistribution of phosphoric acid indicates that phosphoric acid of low viscosity or low wettability is prone to leaching into the CL. The effective transport properties and the active electrochemical active surface area (ECSA) were computed using a pore-scale model. They were subsequently used in a macroscopic model to evaluate the cell performance. A parametric study shows that cell performance first increases with increasing phosphoric acid content due to the increase of ECSA. However, further increasing phosphoric acid content results in performance degradation due to mass transfer limitation caused by acid flooding. KW - Gas diffusion layers KW - Lattice Boltzmann simulation KW - Electrochemical impedance spectra KW - Phosphoric acid KW - HT-PEFC PY - 2021 DO - https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/abff03 VL - 168 IS - 5 SP - 054521 PB - IOP Science AN - OPUS4-53836 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hilger, A. A1 - Kardjilov, N. A1 - Lange, A. A1 - Kupsch, Andreas A1 - Hentschel, M. P. A1 - Manke, I. T1 - Neutron darkfield imaging of fiber composites JF - Materials Testing N2 - While X-ray based darkfield imaging with grating interferometers is already widely used, darkfield imaging with neutrons has still a relatively small user community focused mostly on magnetic materials. Here, we demonstrate the application of neutron darkfield imaging byTalbot-Lau type grating interferometry to fiber reinforced plastics. Common carbon and glass fiber composites have been investigated including characteristic damage structures. The darkfield images show a strong signal response caused by fiber delamination, suitable fiber direction, particles, pores and cracks. The basic principles of neutron darkfield imaging applied to fiber composites are highlighted. KW - Neutron radiography KW - Darkfield imaging KW - Talbot-Lau interferometer KW - Fiber composites KW - Non-destructive testing PY - 2021 DO - https://doi.org/10.1515/mt-2020-0103 SN - 2195-8572 SN - 0025-5300 VL - 63 IS - 7 SP - 623 EP - 629 PB - De Gruyter CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-53077 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kardjilov, N A1 - Manke, I A1 - Hilger, A A1 - Arlt, T A1 - Bradbury, R A1 - Markötter, Henning A1 - Woracek, R A1 - Strobel, M A1 - Treimer, W A1 - Banhart, J T1 - The Neutron Imaging Instrument CONRAD — Post‐Operational Review JF - Journal of imaging N2 - The neutron imaging instrument CONRAD was operated as a part of the user program of the research reactor BER‐II at Helmholtz‐Zentrum Berlin (HZB) from 2005 to 2020. The Instrument was designed to use the neutron flux from the cold source of the reactor, transported by a curved neutron guide. The pure cold neutron spectrum provided a great advantage in the use of different neutron optical components such as focusing lenses and guides, solid‐state polarizers, Monochromators and phase gratings. The flexible setup of the instrument allowed for implementation of new methods including wavelength‐selective, dark‐field, phase‐contrast and imaging with polarized neutrons. In summary, these developments helped to attract a large number of scientists and industrial customers, who were introduced to neutron imaging and subsequently contributed to the Expansion of the neutron imaging community. KW - Neutron imaging KW - Neutron scattering KW - Neutron instrument KW - Tomography PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-534190 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/ jimaging7010011 VL - 7 IS - 11 SP - 7010011 PB - MDPI AN - OPUS4-53419 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mohseninia, A A1 - Eppler, M A1 - Kartouzian, D A1 - Markötter, Henning A1 - Kardjilov, N A1 - Wilhelm, F A1 - Scholta, J A1 - Manke, I T1 - PTFE Content in Catalyst Layers and Microporous Layers: Effect on Performance and Water Distribution in Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells JF - Journal of the Electrochemical Society N2 - This work describes the effects of catalyst layers (CLs) consisting of hydrophobic PTFE on the performance and water management of PEM fuel cells. Catalyst inks with various PTFE contents were coated on Nafion membranes and characterized using contact angle measurements, SEX-EDX, and mercury porosimetry. Fuel cell tests and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were conducted under varying operating conditions for the prepared materials. At dry conditions, CLs with 5 wt.% PTFE were advantageous for cell performance due to improved membrane hydration, whereas under humid conditions and high air flow rates CLs with 10 wt.% PTFE improved the performance in high current density region. Higher PTFE contents (⩾20 wt.%) increased the mass transport resistance due to reduced porosity of the CLs structure. Operando neutron radiography was utilized to study the effects of hydrophobicity gradients within CLs and cathode microporous layer (MPLC) on liquid water distribution. More hydrophobic CLs increased the water content in adjacent layers and improved performance, especially at dry conditions. MPLC with higher PTFE contents increased the overall liquid water within the CLs and GDLs and escalated the water transfer to the anode side. Furthermore, the role of back-diffusion transport mechanism on water distribution was identified for the investigated cells. KW - Neutron imaging KW - Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell KW - Catalyst Layer KW - Microporous Layer KW - Water Distribution PY - 2021 DO - https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/abec53 VL - 168 IS - 3 SP - 034509 PB - IOP Science AN - OPUS4-52402 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tang, F A1 - Wu, Z A1 - Yang, C A1 - Osenberg, M A1 - Hilger, A A1 - Dong, K A1 - Markötter, Henning A1 - Manke, I A1 - Sun, F A1 - Chen, L A1 - Cui, G T1 - Synchrotron X-ray tomography for rechargeable battery research: Fundamentals, setups and applications JF - Small Methods N2 - Understanding the complicated interplay of the continuously evolving electrode materials in their inherent 3D states during the battery operating condition is of great importance for advancing rechargeable battery research. In this regard, the synchrotron X-ray tomography technique, which enables non-destructive, multi-scale, and 3D imaging of a variety of electrode components before/during/after battery operation, becomes an essential tool to deepen this understanding. The past few years have witnessed an increasingly growing interest in applying this technique in battery research. Hence, it is time to not only summarize the already obtained battery-related Knowledge by using this technique, but also to present a fundamental elucidation of this technique to boost future studies in battery research. To this end, this review firstly introduces the fundamental principles and experimental Setups of the synchrotron X-ray tomography technique. After that, a user guide to ist application in battery research and examples of its applications in Research of various types of batteries are presented. The current review ends with a discussion of the future opportunities of this technique for next-generation rechargeable batteries research. It is expected that this review can enhance the reader’s understanding of the synchrotron X-ray tomography technique and stimulate new ideas and opportunities in battery research. KW - 3D imaging KW - Batteries KW - Synchrotron X-Ray KW - Tomography PY - 2021 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/smtd.202100557 VL - 5 IS - 9 SP - 2100557 PB - Wiley-VCH AN - OPUS4-53394 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tran, K. V. A1 - Woracek, R. A1 - Kardjilov, N. A1 - Markötter, Henning A1 - Hilger, A. A1 - Kockelmann, W. A1 - Kelleher, J. A1 - Puplampu, S. B. A1 - Penumadu, D. A1 - Tremsin, A. S. A1 - Banhart, J. A1 - Manke, I. T1 - Spectral neutron tomography JF - Materials Today Advances N2 - Combined three-dimensional (3D) mapping of (micro-)structures with elemental and crystalline phase variations is of significant importance for the characterization of materials. Neutron wavelength selective imaging is a spectral imaging technique that exploits unique contrast differences e.g. for mapping dissimilar elemental, isotope, or phase compositions, and has the particular advantage of being applicable to sample volumes on the meso- and macroscale. While being mostly applied as radiography (2D) so far, we herein report that the extension to tomography allows for the display of the full spectral information for every voxel and in 3D. The development is supported by example data from a continuous as well as a pulsed neutron source. As a practical example, we collected 4D data sets (3D + spectral) of plastically deformed metastable stainless steel and herein demonstrate an improved quantification strategy for crystalline phase fractions. These exemplary results illustrate that localized phase transformations can be quantified even in complex geometries within centimeter-sized samples, and we will discuss the limits and future prospects of the technique that is not limited to crystalline materials. KW - 4D tomographic data KW - Multi-energy CT KW - Spectral CT KW - Phase distribution KW - Full-field phase tomography PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-521668 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtadv.2021.100132 VL - 9 SP - 132 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-52166 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wu, Y. A1 - Lu, X. A1 - Cho, J.I.S. A1 - Rasha, L. A1 - Whiteley, M. A1 - Neville, T. P. A1 - Ziesche, R. A1 - Kardjilov, N. A1 - Markötter, Henning A1 - Manke, I. A1 - Zhang, X. A1 - Shearing, P. R. A1 - Brett, D. J. L. T1 - Multi-length scale characterization of compression on metal foam flow-field based fuel cells using X-ray computed tomography and neutron radiography JF - Energy Conversion and Management N2 - The mechanical compression of metal foam flow-field based polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) is critical in determining the interfacial contact resistance with gas diffusion layers (GDLs), reactant flow and water management. The distinct scale between the pore structure of metal foams and the entire flow-field warrant a multilength scale characterization that combines ex-situ tests of compressed metal foam samples and in-operando analysis of operating PEFCs using X-ray computed tomography (CT) and neutron radiography. An optimal ‘medium’ compression was found to deliver a peak power density of 853 mW/cm². The X-ray CT data indicates that the compression process significantly decreases the mean pore size and narrows the pore size distribution of metal foams. Simulation results suggest compressing metal foam increases the pressure drop and gas velocity, improving the convective liquid water removal. This is in agreement with the neutron imaging results that demonstrates an increase in the mass of accumulated liquid water with minimum compression compared to the medium and maximum compression cases. The results show that a balance between Ohmic resistance, water removal capacity and parasitic power is imperative for the optimal performance of metal foam based PEFCs. KW - Fuel cell KW - Compression effect KW - Metal foam microstructure KW - Neutron radiography KW - X-ray CT PY - 2021 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2020.113785 VL - 239 SP - 10 EP - 113785 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-53842 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -